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How we stayed informed about Harvey

Submitted by Bill Degnan on Tue, 08/29/2017 - 12:47

We've stayed on top of the latest during the storm and we'll share some of those resources with you
If some of the sources don't apply to your situation, use them for inspiration to locate similar resources in your area.

Hurricane / Tropical Storm / Tropical Depression) Harvey continued to cause damage and loss of lives in its path. While we were sheltered-in-place, riding out high winds, heavy rain and local small stream flooding, we were fortunate to have had internet access as the main route of our Intel gathering. I'll come back to that.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS

At our home, we have a number of portable devices that receive broadcasts from this system. A dedicated All-Hazards alert radio alarms for weather watches, warnings and statements as well a a variety of civil emergency messages. Other ways of hearing these broadcasts include Amateur Radio receivers, scanners and phone applications.

We used a phone app and the Internet to listen to water rescues, in progress, in Harris county. We used an app called Scanner Radio from gordonedwards.net (web site down, at this writing.) It was downloaded from the Google Play App Store. We used the free version. There is also a pro version.

Radioreference.com is the go to site for radio systems info. Some public safety radio feeds are available by web player or audio software.

Considering buying a scanner radio? The wrong radio could cost you a bundle and never deliver what you want to hear. Do your research and don't overlook expert advice. If you don't know the difference between EDACS and APCO-25, you aren't an expert.

Remember, that what you hear on the scanner may not always reflect what is really going on. So, don't pass it on as fact.

WEATHER ON THE INTERNET

We used the WeatherUnderground app for up-to-date storm path history and projections, rainfall predictions, in-motion radar and other useful weather resources. Downloadable for free from the Play Store Also accessible on the web at www.wunderground.com .

Very useful weather graphics are available at www.hurricane.gov. We were always after the latest "warning cone interactive map" image. And, for you .rss fans, there are feeds by event, such as http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/nhc_at4.xml . These are intended to be rendered human-readable by an .rss reader. We aggregate a number of public safety .rss feeds you can read on www.rehabsector.org . And, we publish our own feed and refeeds you can read in your .rss reader.